In only his seventh F3 race weekend, the 18-year-old made the most of a reverse-grid pole position after qualifying a personal best of 10th, leading the 21-lap race from lights to flag despite multiple incidents, safety cars, and sustained pressure from Frenchman Alessandro Giusti.
It was a major turnaround for Wharton, who arrived in Austria 25th in the championship standings with only one points finish all season — an eighth place in Barcelona. But at the Red Bull Ring, the Bundoora native seized his opportunity to become the first Aussie since Jack Doohan in 2021 to win in F3.
Wharton got the perfect launch from pole and quickly built a lead of over a second by the end of Lap 1 with strong pace through the high-speed middle sector.
The race was neutralised early by a Safety Car triggered by a multi-car collision at Turn 3 that eliminated Tuukka Taponen, Christian Ho, and New Zealander Louis Sharp. Wharton nailed the restart, promptly setting the fastest lap to re-establish control.
More drama unfolded behind as Brad Benavides and Bruno del Pino clashed, but Wharton remained composed out front, though Giusti continued to apply the pressure. The MP Motorsport driver made several attempts to attack, particularly at Turn 4 on consecutive laps, but Wharton defended smartly, holding his line and absorbing the challenge.
Behind them, Charlie Wurz looked on course for a home podium until Brando Badoer misjudged a move and collided with him, taking both out of the race and prompting another Safety Car on Lap 14.
That set up a four-lap sprint to the finish, with Giusti again looming large. But Wharton delivered under pressure once more, acing the restart to open a gap of eight tenths by Turn 4. He extended the margin beyond a second to stay clear of DRS and crossed the line for a dominant and deserved breakthrough win.
Giusti finished second, with American Ugo Ugochukwu claiming his first-ever F3 podium in third.
The result moves Wharton up to 18th in the Drivers’ Championship, which is currently led by Brazilian Rafael Camara on 106 points.
Wharton will be back in action tomorrow in the F3 Feature Race at 8:30am local time (4:30pm AEST).
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